Joe Rogan comments on Tony Hinchcliffe's controversial Puerto Rico joke from Donald Trump rally, says he warned the comic about getting "stabbed"
Joe Rogan recently addressed Tony Hinchcliffe catching heat online for his controversial joke about Puerto Rico and claimed he had warned his fellow comic about the repercussions of doing that gag outside a comedy club.
For context, Hinchcliffe is a well-known comedian who specializes in roast/insult comedy. During a recent Donald Trump rally ahead of the 2024 U.S. Presidential elections, Hinchcliffe addressed a massive crowd and cracked a joke about Puerto Rico being a "floating island of garbage" and leaned into stereotypes commonly regarded as racist. He said:
"There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico."
Hinchcliffe's joke didn't go down well with a large number of Americans, especially those with a strong Puerto Rican connection. The comedian's comments were also slammed by Democrats and Republicans alike, with many taking to social media to express their disapproval.
During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast (JRE #2220), the UFC commentator shared his thoughts on the controversy and revealed he had warned Hinchcliffe about the audience not responding well to that particular joke:
"It's a terrible setup. It's a political rally, and you're doing jokes like you're in a comedy club. It doesn't... Don't do it... That joke kills at comedy clubs, I don't like the joke, but it kills. I said to him, I go, 'Dude, that's the one that's going to get you stabbed,' and he used to talk about it on stage."
Watch the full JRE #2220 episode below:
Joe Rogan explains strategy behind viral Donald Trump podcast episode
Joe Rogan recently spoke to Donald Trump on the JRE podcast and the two discussed a wide variety of topics relevant to the upcoming U.S. Presidential elections. As the Republican nominee, Trump will be running against Democrat candidate Kamala Harris.
Given Trump's polarizing and radioactive nature, it's no surprise that a long-form conversation with Rogan on the famous podcaster's show went viral. During a recent JRE Fight Companion show for UFC 308, Rogan detailed his interview plan and was asked if he questioned Trump's pro-vaccine stance. He said:
"No, I didn’t. But I also wanted to be rigid because there was a moment when he brought up the polio vaccine. I was like, I don't want to correct him... have you ever seen the chart of when polio actually dropped off when the vaccine was introduced?... When you look at the actual... like there's a bunch of them. Measles is another one, and you look at what actually happened."
Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (38:50):